


sharp and glorious

by seven_to_twelve



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 13:37:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20706893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seven_to_twelve/pseuds/seven_to_twelve
Summary: Sasha and Hamid end up drinking at a tavern not long after they meet. Sasha claims she wants Hamid to help her “find her new favorite wine” and he jumps at the chance to drink wine and talk about posh things.





	sharp and glorious

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written fanfic in over a decade, so be please kind. Thanks to Rusty Quill I've got a nearly full notebook of half completed fanfic and notes for fanfics, but this is the first I felt was actually publishable. Title from Hozier's Shrike. Hope you enjoy!

Sasha and Hamid end up drinking at a tavern not long after they meet. Sasha claims she wants Hamid to help her “find her new favorite wine” and he jumps at the chance to drink wine and talk about posh things.

They manage to find a tavern that actually has a decent wine selection (correction: seven, they have seven wines. Cambridge Hamid would have been appalled at the lack of selection but Adventurer Hamid has been laughed at by enough barkeeps that he’s just happy they didn't offer him actual rubbing alcohol while laughing at him) and they get to the drinking.

Sasha very quickly nixes the chardonnay (“why did you just feed me a sock in liquid form, what did I ever do to you?”) and Hamid drinks the rest of her glass. Chardonnay isn't his favorite but why waste it when they’ve already paid for it, right?

They try the riesling (“ooh, apples!”) And the shiraz (“okay so it’s a sock that’s been soaked in spices, thanks for the upgrade.”) but it quickly becomes apparent Sasha has an ulterior motive for their outing tonight. She keeps pointing at people of all races and genders and asking Hamid “what about that one?” Until he finally breaks and asks what on earth her end goal here is if she’s not going to listen when he talks about the wine.

“Just want to find out what my friend likes so I can hook you up in the future, you know? That’s how we did it in Other London: you knew what your mate liked and you pointed them in the right direction when you saw someone tailor made for them. Me, I like competence, not really picky about the skill itself. My engine turns on for everything from a good dagger toss to a really nice singing voice - not picky at all.” With this she gives a wink to the bartender who had been singing to himself under his breath. He looks up a bit startled and blushes.

The whole time she’s talking Hamid is just turning more and more red, he really was not prepared to know this about Sasha. But he swallows and gets out “Um, I like character? I guess? Liliana, my last girlfriend she was pretty but she was super smart you know? Her beauty certainly didn't hurt but it wasn't the thing I liked about her. Er.” He throws back in his memory to try and see a common denominator between his previous liaisons and comes up with “I'm not fussed about gender but I prefer them to be closer to my height? It’s only that kissing gets a bit painful when they’re too much taller.”

Sasha laughs and tells him about someone she hung around for a bit with named Nine Toed Will, who not only had nine toes but also a pet toad. “He was at least Bertie’s height and it made kissing a bit hard but we managed. Could lift me right up to his level, he could.”

Hamid is enjoying this side of Sasha, she’s smiling and her cheeks are pink with her second glass of riesling, which he mentally moves to the top of Sasha’s Wine List in his head. She looks a bit radiant and more relaxed than he's ever seen her, but also like she could still take you down with a look which. Um.

“I guess I like people who could take me in a fight?” Hamid says this one very quietly while making eye contact with his glass but she catches it all the same.

“Really now. Like what do you mean? You like that they’re stronger than you?” She asks intrigued.

“A bit? Stronger than me but also a bit of that competence thing you like. Liliana was powerful in her field of study and I knew that if we ever fought she would down me in seconds.” His squints to focus on the exposed beams above them. “This one time we were out drinking and one of the campus bars and some frat boys got too rowdy. One of them tried to grab her arm and make her dance but I blinked and he was down on the floor with his wrist bent screaming for mercy.” 

“A touch of the danger kink, yeah?” Sasha nudges him aiming for his ribs but catches him in the shoulder due to their height difference.

Hamid flushes further “A touch I guess.”

The conversation turns back to wine with Sasha taking more of an interest now that her primary goal has been met. She likes riesling, cabernet, and port, but doesn’t like chardonnay or merlot and when they’ve exhausted their options they make their way back to Hamid’s apartment where the rest of the crew is hopefully well enough asleep that they won’t wake up. 

Hamid unlocks his door while alternately shushing Sasha and giggling at the faces she's pulling. Funny thing about alcohol, is that while you’re Not Drinking your body is still metabolizing the alcohol. This is to say that after they stop drinking, during the walk home and all the way up the stairs, they’re getting progressively more drunk. The door opens they tumble in frantically waving their hands and making shushing noises at each other. 

The apartment is dark, only a faint light coming from the window where the moon seeps through the curtains. No noise comes from the guest room where Bertie slumbers and Hamid knows from experience that once that man is asleep nothing will wake him up unless he has decided it's time for waking.

Fabric rustles from the direction of the couch and Sasha has a dagger in her hand from who knows where faster than Hamid can blink. 

“Whoa, hey.” And that’s Zolf’s voice, Hamid thinks with an exhalation of tension. Sasha takes a moment longer to sheath her dagger back from whichever sleeve it originated from.

“Don’t startle drunk people!” And oops, Hamid’s voice was louder than he’d intended it to be there.

“I can see that.” Zolf is still covered by darkness but Hamid can detect a smile from his tone. “Steady on.” He says as Sasha flicks the light on and hisses as the sudden flush of light.

“Zolf, good seeing you. Hamid - good drinking.” With that she takes a step towards the guest room and then pauses, turning nimbly on her toe to glance back at Zolf. A bright smile takes over her face, and she turns to Hamid, “Hey! Zolf is pretty and dangerous, how about it, eh?” Then with a self satisfied nod to herself and a wink at Hamid she disappears through the door leaving Zolf staring at the blank space she was standing looking bewildered and Hamid with his tomato red face securely tucked between his fingers. 

“Yes I know, thank you!” He calls after her.

Zolf starts to ask was that was all about and Hamid rapidly flashes him a strained grin, “Well that was fun - she liked the reisling. Night Zolf!” and then disappears himself into his bedroom, sighing when there’s a door between him and Zolf’s expression - whatever it may be. Hamid might know that Zolf is pretty and dangerous and very attractive (and what a revelation to have about your boss while he’s trying to drown someone) but Hamid doesn’t need to know what Zolf thinks about Hamid knowing this.

Time enough to deal with that come morning, he thinks.


End file.
